1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wood splitter particularly suited to longitudinally severing lengths of logs into section more suitable and conducive to fireplace use or for splitting shakes. The task of splitting precut log sections into longitudinal segments if done by hand with an ax or hammer and wedge is a tiresome, arduous task, particularly if large numbers of logs must be split.
2. Prior Art
Mechanical splitters have been devised to reduce the amount of manual labor necessary to accomplish the task and increase productivity. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,760,854, Worthington; No. 3,356,115, Cole; and No. 3,077,214, Brukner are illustrative of such devices. In each disclosed device an actuator, such as a hydraulic cylinder, mounted on a base, expands linearly to force a log laying on the base against a blade rising above the base opposite the log from the actuator causing the log to split. A related device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,281, Bartlett. It discloses a pair of blades dependent from a beam normally suspended above the object to be split, such as a tree stump. Actuators, such as hydraulic cylinders, depend from either end of the beam and forcefully move the lower ends of two blades dependent from the beam at their upper ends toward each other severing the stump in between the blades.
Typical mechanical wood splitters dump the pieces on the ground where they must be retrieved. Coupled with the usual necessity of bending over and picking up the whole sections of wood to load into the splitter, the machine operator is required to make many, tiresome lifting and bending motions.
Most mechanisms have the log or wood section lying on its side during the splitting operation. The wood is generally more difficult to turn and position for another split when on its side. Also there is generally little control of the position of the wood during splitting.
Most wood splitters split from one side of the wood, having a fused member on the opposite side of the wood from the blade. This type of operation tends to be slow.
The disclosed splitter avoids the above problems and is additionally usable to split shakes in addition to firewood.